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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Toby Vue

Police officer 'mowed down' in alleged hit and run may not work again

The Audi that Stephen McCracken allegedly drove to hit a police officer on the Monaro Highway in August. Picture: Supplied

A police officer who sustained serious head injuries after being "mowed down" by a car on the Monaro Highway may not be able to work again, a court has heard.

Three ACT residents - Stephen John McCracken, Rebecca Keys and Jaiden Dale Gardner - accused of being inside that car, an Audi sedan, fronted the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Police documents tendered to the court allege the offending happened on August 30 on the Monaro Highway near Tip Road in NSW.

It came after police pursued a stolen Toyota LandCruiser allegedly driven by Gardner, who then fled to the Audi.

McCracken, 30, is accused of being the driver, while the two co-accused were in the Audi.

The officer stood on the road in a bid to stop the Audi when it hit him and carried him on the bonnet for about 50m, police allege.

Another officer saw him "being thrown from the vehicle, landing harshly on the roadway, hitting his head and sustaining serious injuries".

The driver allegedly did not stop and sped towards Cooma.

MORE COURT AND CRIME NEWS

In court, McCracken and Keys, 43, consented to being extradited to NSW while Gardner applied for bail and was formally refused.

Magistrate Glen Theakston said the alleged offending against the police was "a very serious example of violence" and that the driver allegedly "mowed down the police officer".

Mr Theakston said Gardner had a history of serious offending and had an ongoing Supreme Court matter in which he allegedly assaulted a fellow jail detainee.

"I'm not satisfied the defendant would comply with his bail," he said.

Earlier in the hearing, defence lawyer Lauren Skinner asked prosecutor Sam Bargwanna about his grounds of opposition to bail.

The defendant has engaged in conduct that has caused life-long and serious injuries to a police officer who will probably never work again.

Prosecutor Sam Bargwanna

"I would've thought it would be incredibly obvious. The defendant has engaged in conduct that has caused life-long and serious injuries to a police officer who will probably never work again," Mr Bargwanna said.

He said there was a "significant and extreme" risk of Gardner being charged with more alleged offending as he was on bail prior to the highway incident.

Gardner's lawyer, Lauren Skinner, questioned how her client was identified as a co-accused and said the risk was based on mere allegations only at this stage.

Among the bail conditions she proposed was house arrest.

McCracken was arrested outside the ACT courts building on Thursday, while the other two were arrested at ACT residences.

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